Locations
AN OVERVIEW OF AURELIA’S STRATA, THEIR INHABITANTS & AESTHETIC Vertex This palace-like collection of buildings, elevated above the top of the mountain directly over the Temple, houses the king’s living quarters and the seat of government. It is accessible by a series of well-guarded stairs, built into the buttresses that suspend it over the Temple mount. Few are allowed to pass here other than the nobility, top members of the Scientific Symposia, and those with special passes for diplomatic purposes. The Vertex is built from granite and obsidian, iron and brass. The interior is plush and comfortable, somewhere between a steampunk (Victorian) home and a high fantasy Minas Tirith-esque palace. The king’s quarters in particular wind up the central tower in a peculiar set of spiraling rooms that feature the most breathtaking, and depressing, views of the Wasteland. No end to them can be seen on that horizon. Temple Mount “The serpent’s temple adorned the very crest of Mount Aurelia. Once a craggy, four-sided peak, it was now a sunken crater. Its sides plunged straight into a plain so caustic, nothing had grown there for centuries, and its peak had been the top of the City in its earliest days. Now, the iron outer hull soared well past it, suspending the Upper Strata and the Vertex above the temple complex on buttresses that ran deep into the crater walls. The edifice that now crowned the mount was a veritable cathedral of death. Its soaring rafters nearly touched the foundation of the Upper Strata. From there, all the way to the foundation, each roof tile and wall panel was fashioned from semi-opaque, crystalline Shadow. Each was the remains of her faithful adherents. For a thousand years, they had ordered their only posthumous remains to be cast in the sacred smelter for the construction of yet another annex. From the outside, the entire complex appeared empty. No windows adorned the Shadow-walls, and over the centuries, patterns of soot—billowing from the lyria pyres that burned night and day—had obscured the figures moving within. Now, only the hypnotic chants of the priests, mingled with the whine of flutes and stirring of the ritual pools, bore witness to the life within. That, and the clack of the Serpent’s scales as she glided over Shadow.” - Rise of the Tiger, Chapter 9 In the center of the Temple is a crater (the very top of the mountain) where the Tree of Shakna was once planted. It was stolen off the mount at the Fall of Darkness, before the city was built. A lake is now there, full of monsters who protect the Serpent goddess’s floating throne. Stratum of Philosophers This is the stratum most like Minas Tirith from Lord of the Rings: clean, Romanesque, glittering and (almost) sterile. This is the seat of knowledge and the home of Aurelia’s greatest minds, who are treated with even more deference than her high-born nobility. When I think of this stratum, I think of Raphael’s School of Athens painting. Even in this energy crisis, more light is still allotted to this strata than any below it, so that the greatest minds can continue their work. In addition to laboratories, classrooms, and halls of debate, this strata is home to hot mineral spring baths, the National Museum, and the National Library. Its feel is airy and open. People travel freely with little fear due to an airtight scheme of guards who are also hidden, in order to downplay their presence and elevate the feeling of freedom. Stratum of the First (the nobility) This is the stratum of the wealthy’s sprawling estates, surrounded by high walls and guarded by renn (machinated, genetically altered human guards) and mechanical beasts. Palatial villa-style mansions glow with light, while the rocky land around them is gardened with subterranean plants that thrive in low light conditions, especially a popular moss that glows phosphorescent when stepped upon, thus serving as yet another deterrent to thieves and intruders. The streets are narrow between these high walls, and particularly treacherous after Lampsdim. Think of Parisian gas-lit streets around the turn of the century – that’s how each of these estates would look, decked out with light. “From where the q’adax fell, Jude had only a short walk to the Barigeth mansion. One of the oldest in Aurelia, the house consumed a generous patch of mountainside on the estate’s northern border. Its sprawling, single-story villa was set low to the earth, with wide porticoes flanking all four sides, upheld by pillars of solid garemite—a semiprecious metal that had secured the family’s fortune. As Jude climbed into the guard moat that spanned the house’s foundation, he struggled not to tread on the bodies within. Some human, others kiega, all wore a scratchy black saphi–a seamless garment woven from metal fibers–and an obsidian disk, the mark of servitude, in their left ears. Each had slumped at his post wherever Malchus’s gas had touched him. “The gardens of Lord Barigeth’s estate were rumored to be the most opulent in Aurelia. Not to mention, the most dangerous. The truth of this rumor became apparent the instant Jude hit a bed of lichen below the vibrameter tower. His impact ignited a flare of phosphorescent light, straking from his body through the entire bed of lichen. Its beacon would warn any nearby sentient being that a visitor was prowling about. Jude had to get off the path, now. Keeping his hands just high enough that the lichen did not sense them, he groped forward until he found a stone-paved path. He hauled his aching body into it. Sure enough, the phosphorescence extinguished instantly. Jude struggled to his feet, shaking lichen dust off his cloak. Old Lord Barigeth was a clever one, to be sure, and no miser when it came to protecting his property. The renn Jude had just killed were worth a small fortune. The vibrameter on the tower above required tunnels full of wiring to be chiseled deep in the mountain. And those pressure-glowing lichens? They were so delicate, the Lord’s own botanists must have bred them just for the soil of the estate. Jude made his way up the path, every sense heightened to the barest shiver of a leaf or crunch of a twig around him. He followed it through a maze of stone statuary, more lichen beds and a small forest of vines creeping up their trellises. The estate loomed not far above, at the top of an imposing ridge, its back portico still glowing with gaslight. The statuary collection itself was a wonder worth stopping to view, a veritable bestiary of creatures that no longer roamed the Wastelands (if they ever had at all). Some walked on four slender feet. Others flew on two wings, with tail-plumes that grazed the ground. Still more leapt from low pools, their fins outstretched and bodies suspended above the water on iron rods.” -- Rise of the Tiger, Chapter 6 Stratum of Technologists This is the strata of tinkering inventors, mad scientists, and anyone who’s got a vision for the next great gadget to improve life inside the city. In all fairness, most of the inhabitants are serious inventors who have patrons (similar to artistic patrons in the Renaissance era) who sponsor their work. The typical technologist attended the Symposia academy but was deemed better suited for practical application of science rather than theoretical debate. You’d think this would be the strata of wonderland-like clutter, workbenches, and foundries. And it is. But they’re all behind closed doors, under lock and key, patrolled by renn ... because scientific intellectual property is gold in Aurelia. It’s a winner-take-all game for whoever reveals a gadget first. Stratum of Merchants This is the bustling stratum of wall-to-wall shops, big and small, bursting at the seams with manufactured goods of all shapes and sizes. If you want a hand-crafted item (pottery, jewelry, etc.) you’ll have to go one stratum down. But here is where the factories’ endless production ends up. Things are a bit more “earthy” down here: brick and bright colors, all bustle and glitter. There’s no granite or archways, but it’s not dirty or dark either. The Middle Class—such as they are—thrive here. Stratum of Crafts & Trades This is similar to the Merchant Stratem, except that it’s lit by the flicker of blacksmiths’ fires and rings with the sound of craftsman’s tools. Slightly more mazelike, and a bit grimier than the Merchants’ Strata, this strata is quite respectable; the mess is merely indicative of the creative work going on inside this honeycomb of alley shops. Different types of trades, too, are grouped in different areas of the strata, making competition fierce for both quality and price. MIDDLE STRATUM This is the stratum where rich meets poor, privilege meets the working class, and plenty meets want. In this open stratum, weekly markets dot the vast Promenade that serves as a kind of “Central Park” for the city. The Grand Canal cuts right through the strata, servicing many docks where goods from the factories below may be carted by automaton up to the upper strata. What artists remain in these troubled times will find a willing audience in this stratum. The public arena is located here. It’s also famous (infamous?) for pickpockets, thieves and beggars whom the City Watch are constantly chasing back down to the lower strata. There is a good deal of open “sky” here, where citizens can see all the way up to the iron hull that covers the city. This stratum alone offers them “breathing room” from the beehive-like architecture of the others. It’s energetic, bright, and expansive. A far cry from what’s about to come below . . . Stratum of Light Industry This is where the real consequences of life in a cramped, enclosed tower become obvious. Factory after factory have grown up over each other, making for crowded, winding streets that are dark, treacherous, and constantly obscured by a veil of soot. Each day the poor line up for work on a cheerless work detail, many covered with drab, heavy shawls to protect themselves from the soot. This may be the stratem of light industry, but its heavy gloom marks the downward spiral from here to the city’s bottom. Stratum of Metals An even darker, heavier, and more unfriendly version of the stratem above, the Stratum of Metals is staffed mostly by brawny male humans, growling renn, and a few stout kiega for good measure. Crowded tenements abound, with only a few flashes of brightness against the dim, ironclad factories that rumble night and day with heavy productions. Stratum of Refineries This gloomiest of strata contains the only entrances to the Netherfrost, the mountain interior where the kiega minegaremite, the city’s primary fuel. It’s as common here to see soot- and garemite-covered figures trudging the streets as anyone else. The darkness gets even heavier here, and the tenements even more desperate. Stratum of Boilers & Pumps The nerve center for the city’s power, this strata is heavily guarded against tinkering by insurgents, disgruntled employees, and the mentally insane. It’s commonly feared that the boilers (at least, those servicing the philosophers and the First!) would be the first target if the poor ever do really rise up in rebellion. Huge tanks and pipe works are the norm in this strata—making it feel more like a metal forest than anything else. Stratum of Waste Management The most unpleasant of strata, this one reeks of filth and rumbles night and day with great machines that compress some waste, turn others into fertilizer for the underground farms, and send some into underground reservoirs where the contents are leeched back into the already-poisoned wasteland beyond. The poorest of the poor are forced to live here. Facilities for the mentally insane and other groups—despised by the philosophers and First, feared by everyone else—are housed here away from the rest of polite society. Distanced from the worst of the smells, the City Watch barracks surround Aurelia’s only exit: the Great Gate that opens, once in a great while, to let an unwanted criminal into the wasteland. Aurelia gritty street FINAL.jpg|A typical street in Aurelia. The lack of celestial light means that Aurelia relies on a system of gas lamps. Even the brightest midday seems quite dim. (Illustration by Julie Roth)|link=http://www.theatrics.com/aurelia/character/index/charid/aZhr Mansion final.jpg|The wealthiest Aurelians enjoy homes similar to Roman villas, located behind high walls, on vast tracts of mountainside near the city's peak. (Illustration by Julie Roth)|link=http://www.theatrics.com/aurelia/character/index/charid/aZhr Restaurant final.jpg|Located in the Middle Strata, where the rich and poor mingle, Octavia's Gastronomia serves legendary fare and a heaping does of intrigue. (Illustration by Julie Roth)|link=http://www.theatrics.com/aurelia/character/index/charid/aZhr Aurelia science lab final.jpg|For a thousand years, Aurelia's survival has relied upon the genius of her scientists and inventors, who meet every challenge the harsh Wasteland environment throws at its human denizens. Many labs are built into the mountain and highly secured, because scientific discoveries are worth vast sums of money and much political influence. (Illustration by Julie Roth)|link=http://www.theatrics.com/aurelia/character/index/charid/aZhr Aurelia Promenade BIG.jpeg|The Promenade, a multilayered park on the banks of the Grand Canal, provides yet another Middle Strata gathering point. Here, Aurelians converge for artistic performances, markets, and festivals--although the widening gap between rich and poor often makes this a breeding ground for dissent. (Illustration by Julie Roth)|link=http://www.theatrics.com/aurelia/character/index/charid/aZhr AurelianTEmple.jpeg|The Symposia are Aurelia's most revered scientific academies. Members of the Symposia must undergo rigorous examinations to receive the "Cloak Of Knowledge," a symbol of membership. Many scholars hold regular outdoor debate sessions in this auditorium, carved out of the mountainside. (Illustration by Anika Kowalik)|link=http://www.theatrics.com/aurelia/character/index/charid/aZhr AureliaStreet_CaseyHoagland.jpeg|Intrigue and scheming abound in all levels of Aurelian society. To combat the mayhem, Aurelia long ago instituted a policy called "Lampsdim," the hour at which all lamps extinguish and citizens are barred from moving about the streets. Many crimes take place in the moments right before Lampsdim. (Illustration by Casey Hoaglund)|link=http://www.theatrics.com/aurelia/character/index/charid/aZhr